Nova Southeastern University

The DBA program at NSU was and is not an online degree. I entered the program not knowing what I was getting into but I graduated because I was willing to make all of the personal sacrifices to meet the requirements to pass each course and complete the publication, comprehensive exams, and dissertation work. This is a research doctoral program. The work is often tedious, time consuming and demanding (every degree program at every higher education institution should be this demanding). This meant regularly skipping family events, religious events, and even doing without sleep to complete the required work on time. Despite having experience as a practitioner of my subject (accounting) and having a solid academic background including a degree from an engineering school, I found myself faced with a steep learning curve that I had to master in a short period of time. From a financial management theorist's perspective, it took me less than 2.5 years after graduation to recover (via after-tax dollars) the cost of pursuing the DBA degree. It was well worth every sacrifice I made to complete it. Even if I hadn't graduated with the DBA degree, I would do this program all over again just because it changed how I interact with the world and my thought process. Like every good program, the quality was constantly improving as I progressed through the program. This forced people to evolve as they progress through the program or they had to leave the program. If you aren't a very motivated or serious student, this program is not a good match for you.

The NSU DBA program met my need for a mid-career doctorate. When I enrolled in 1992 they were the only credible game in town. Today I might choose a part-time program (such as Wayne State in Detroit), but NSU remains a credible short residency option. AACSB is on the horizon - but not in the bag yet. IMHO NSU is the most likely institution among short residency/DL programs to get accredited by AACSB.

Not sure why NSU's DBA program is on an online review site. The only online class I've taken has been a web tutorial for NSU's online systems. They are even doing away with the off campus classes. Love the program as it is highly research oriented. The work load is somewhat heavy, but this is expected considering that it is a doctoral program. Many seem not to finish. Fort Lauderdale campus is gorgeous, the business school facility is incredible, and the resources offered are immense.

I recently completed the DBA program and think that it was definitely worth every minute and every penny. I completed my MS at an AACSB institution, where I finished with the highest GPA of the graduating class, and went on to complete the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) program. I have to admit that some of the people NSU admits in the program are losers with no chance to complete the program. I've witnessed this first hand and I'd say that the "haters" on this list are probably some one of those losers that I came across. I'd say NSU does this to collect easy money from those idiots... Hey, easy money is easy money. The graduation rate in the program is much lower than I expected, which also shows how difficult it is to get through the program. There are several DBA graduates each year, but when you break it down on a per-discipline basis (e.g. Fin, Acc, Mgt, etc), there really aren't that many! I attended the Davie (FL) Campus. In fact, the primary reason why I selected NSU was b/c I was able to work while going to school. I was asked by two professors to continue with the PhD program at the State School where I completed my MS, but that required me to quite my Six figure salary. I would not attend any Online University due to their bad reputation. Case Western offers a similar program and is AACSB-Accredited, but that was just a little too far for me (Ohio), so I opted for NSU. It took me four years to complete the program, but if I would have been married or had children, then that could have boiled over to 1 or 2+ years. During the program, one of the professors brings in some ABD and DBA students to share their experiences with current students to help them realize how important it is to brush-up on their research skills and to get the Dissertation done ASAP. It's a real eye-opener. Also, to some extent, it's not only losers that drop out, but some people have important family matters/issues to attend to. In the first case, I have no respect for people who expect to spend money and expect to get this degree with little effort. This is a consequence of utter laziness and ignorance. Anyone who attends or completes a program and then later drops out and completely disrespects the program is a dumb-ass for not doing their initial grad-school research and should not have been there to begin with. Go back to McDonald's buddy. In the latter case, I agree that family comes first and everything else should be put on-hold if needed. I'd say that NSU has alot of potential, and it may simply take a change in the Business School's top folks (Dean) to get the ball rolling towards AACSB accreditation. There is a huge talent pool in So FLA, and they are all going to other Universities across the country. NSU is a good (& young) school and with some improvements in the Management team, will eventually become a great school but that will take a few years.

I am a current DBA in Accounting student at NOVA and the coursework is extremely challenging and very rigorous. In addition, the dissertation and publishing requirements are meant to produce highly capable researchers and academicians, and they are doing so. This program is only for people who are serious about obtaining a doctoral degree and adding to the current academic body of knowledge in their field. The DBA degree is NOT an online degree. Coursework is completed in class at the main campus in Ft. Lauderdale, FL or at regional clusters like the one in Atlanta, GA – all of the instruction is in class. I have just started the third year in the program and I will soon begin the dissertation process and soon complete the coursework. Also, the school is well into the process to acquire AACSB certification and of the criticisms of NOVA that I have read in my opinion are not justified.

I obtained my DBA-International Management from NOVA in 2003. I did it all in 4 years. This degree is basically useless in the academic world unless of course you plan to teach at 3rd and 4th-tier schools, particularly at schools that feature oline business programs: The University of Phoenix and Walden University come to mind. Despite these drawbacks, I must say that going through the DBA program allowed me to develop excellent research and writing skills that I use quite often in my present job. In addition, I am putting those skills to good use in a more rigorous doctoral program at a reputable European university. It would be nice if the DBA program at NOVA took a more rigorous approach and the School of Business sought AASCB accreditation. As long as the program does not have AASCB accreditation, the DBA degree will have little recognition in the academic world. Also, the DBA program should accept only students that are capable of during doctoral work. I would speculate that on a given year about a third of the enrolled students do not belong and should not in the program. They are in only for the piece of paper.

I'm a 2006 graduate of the DBA (Int'l Mgt concentration). It took me almost eight years to complete, by no fault of the University (currently requirements are to complete the degree within six years, I believe). What I didn't understand going into the program, and what most of the program's dropouts failed to learn, was that doctoral degrees are not about coursework -- they are about research and advancing the body of knowledge within one's chosen field. Coursework only provides an opportunity for the doctoral student to update and refine his/her knowledge of current research and theory in a given field -- it does not represent doctoral-level education. I say it again, doctorates are not about coursework -- that's masters and undergraduate degree activity. The successfully completed (and approved) dissertation is a formally published volume that adds to the body of knowledge associated with a given topic. Understandably, this is a high threshold, as well it should, since the reputations of both the University and the Committee members who sign the dissertation approval forms, all hang in the balance. In this regard, NSU succeeds. The doctoral student who has the requisite focus and determination will succeed. Notwithstanding the title "Doctor," the real value of the DBA lies in the experience of having marshalled one's self-discipline and leveraged the experience and guidance of a qualified faculity to publish at an accademically professional level of competence. Once having obtained the degree, DBAs from Nova have demonstrated for the record that they "know what right looks like." In so doing, the University has met its obligations; anything of value after that is up to graduate to generate.

I was a D.B.A. degree student. They are a big rip-off. They are the most sued collegiate institution in the United States. They do not care about their students. If you dare to cross them, they throw you out on trumped-up charges. On their transcript request form, they have the so-called word "DOCTORATAL" which, I guess, is a combination of the word Doctorate and Doctoral.